BRITAIN AND DOMINIONS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19394, 31 July 1926, Page 9

BRITAIN AND DOMINIONS.

RELATIONS DISCUSSED. IMPERIAL POLICY MATTERS. FUTURE TRADE PROSPECTS. By Telegraph—Pre3s Association —Copyright. (Received 7.5 p.m.) A. and N.Z. LONDON. July '..9. A discussion on Dominion matters arose in the House of Commons on the motion for the second reading of the Consolidated Funds Bill. Mr. J. H. Thomas, Labour member for Derby, commended the attitude of the Secretary of State for the Dominions, Mr. L. S. Amery, in connection with the constitutional difficulty in Canada. He said it ought to go on record as a definite statement that whatever view a Governor-General might take he acted on his own responsibility, without interference of any kind from Downing Street. Mr. Thomas made an appeal in favour of keeping Dominion affairs away from party controversy. Viscount Sandon, Conservative member for Salop, contended that the Dominions should take a share in shaping the Government's policy. Dominions Equal Partners. Colonel Angus McDonnell, Conservative member for Kent (Dartford), said he considered that the Secretary of State for the Dominions should visit the Dominions whenever the opportunity offered, so that he might acquaint himself with their difficulties and problems. In replying, Mr. Amery said that in view of the amount of work involved and also of the growing complexity and importance of Dominion and colonial affairs, he was inclined to think the two offices of Secretary of State ought to be separated. Dealing with the Imperial Conference, Mr. Amery suid the Governments of Britain and the Dominions did not interfere with each other. The Dominions were partners and were just as independent as Britain. The difficulty was that the conferences largely dealt with executive policy, for which only the Governments could take responsibility as to continuity of policy. Consultation on Migration. Referring to migration, Mr. Amery said he agreed that there should be some form of inter-Imperial consultation, not on a strict party basis, which would contain the nucleus of an organisation to meet the need of progress in Empire settlement. The whole business of settlement must be done by the Government on the spot. The whole essence of British policy was to recognise the responsibility of the Dominions for their own settlement and choice of settlers. At the forthcoming conference he intended to press for a more elastic interpretation of some of the rules applied by the Dominions in the choice of settlers. Surplus Produce of Dominions. Continuing, Mr. Amery said the EmDire Marketing Committee had already done much in the way of publicity to help the British public to realise the extent to which it was possible to obtain Empire supplies. Mr. T. _Johnston, Labour member for Dundee, advocated the purchase in bulk of the exportable surplus of the produce of the Dominions for distribution in Britain at cost price, so that every working man and woman might have a share in the dividends of the Empire. Mr. R. J. Boothby, Conservative member for Aberdeen and Kincardine, said he was convinced that ultimately the establishment of an Imperial zollverein (tariff league) would be necessary to compete with American mass production and a possible Central European zollverein headed by Germany. The bill was read a second time.